Collapsible box



Aug. 4, 1925.

J. R. VAN WORMER COLLAPSIBLIIEQ BOX Filed March lez 2 Sheets-Shaet 1 Patented Aug. 4, i925;

UNITED STATES JOHN R. vmwomrnn, or rename, onro, ASSIGNOR or one-ms vnannnnune, or ronnno, onro.

conmrsrnnn BOX.

PiAT E-NT orFlcs.

r enoaen A.

Application filed larch 6, 1922. Serial No. 541,825.

I To all whom it may concern:

do hereby declare the following to be a full,

, clear, and exact description of the inven- 'tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to containers of the collapsible'type and particularly to boxes made of stifl paper or other similar or suit.- able material and used in connection with the packaging of numerous articles.

The object of the invention is the provision of a simple and efficient box or container of the character described, which is composed'of a minimum of material scored and having certain of its panels overlapped" and secured together. in such manner as to provide a box member capable of being easil and quickly set up or collapsed and whic is strong and durable in its construe tion and when set up is adapted to retain such position.

A urther object of the invention is the provision of abox of the character described.

' comprising. separable and interchangeable body and cover portions of like construction and size. V I

The invention is fully" described in the following specification, and while, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerous forms, .two embodiments only thereof are-'illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which,

I Figure 1 is a plan view in collapsed positionof either the body or cover ortion of a box embodying the invention. i 2 is a plan view of a blank for forming t e same with a part broken away. Figs. 3 and 4 are I cross sections on the line 33 in Fig. 1 with the parts in different stages of opening movement. Fig. 5 1s a fragmentary plan view of the boxmember in partially opened position. Fig. 6 is a top perspective view thereof in full open position. ,Fig. 7 is a fplan view ofa slightly modified form of ,box member in collapsed position.

Fig. 8 is a plan of theblank thereof.' Fig. 9 a

cross section on the line 9-9 in Fig. 7. Fig.

'10 is a top perspective view of the member in full open .position. Fig..11 is a top view of the member partially collapsed, and Fig.

12 is a cross section [on the line 12-12 1n Fig. 11. v

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, 1 designates a blank of rectangular form and preferably composed of pressed fiber or fiber board of a fairly stifi nature, but preferably not so stifi as to preof a box of the telescoping type, it is of rectangular form as shown and may vary in length and width to suit the she e of the box desired. The blank is forme adjacent to each of two 0 posite edges thereof, which may be termed t e side edges, and in parallelism therewith with a scoring line v2 and adjacent to each of the other twoopposite edges, which may be termed the end edges, and in parallelism therewith with a 'scorin line 3. The score lines 2 and 3 cross eac other and extend at their ends to therespective edges' of the blank to form the rectangular corner panels 4, and the lines 2 and 3 cooperate to formthe bottom'panel 5 and the side panels 6 at opposite sldes of the bottom panel. Each end panel, which is formed by the intersecting score lines 2 and 3 at an end of the bottom panel 5, is divided into a main central panel 7 and at each end thereof with a triangular lapping panel 8 by inclined score lines 9 which extend from the inner corner angles of the end panel inwardly across the res ective end panels at substantially a 45 'ang etc the adcent lines 2 and 3 bounding the end panels,

as shown.

and t e corner panels 4 to lap th outer sides cent end' portions of the center end panels 7,

ias shown in Fig. 1. The portions of the corner panels4 which lap the triangular end of the tongues 10 swing whic blank at t e points s own.

panels .8- are then secured to such panels by glue, staples or otherwise.

Thepanels 8 and lapped portions of the corner panels 4, which are rigidly secured together, cooperate to form a triangular tongue 10 at the-inner side of each end of the box member, which ton e is ,hingedly connected tot-he center en panel 7 along the res ective diagonal score ne9. When theen sand sides of the-box member are in collapsed position the free edge 11 of each tongue 10 is disposed in the angle formed along the adjacent score line 2 between the bottomand side. panels 5 and 6,;and when the member is opened or the sides and ends thereof have been swung to upright-position with respect to the bottom panel, the edge 11 over the respective corner portions of the ottom' anelm con tact therewith and to the ang e formed at the score line, 3 between the bottom panel 5 4 and ad'acent end panel 7, with the inner sides 0 the tongues'fiat against the respective panels 7 asillustrated in Figsr, 5 and 6. It is thus evident that the tongues 10 are considerably stiffer than the remainder of the box due to their being formed by a double thickness of the material forming the box, and that they serve as bracing members which 'coact at their free edges 11 with the bottom panel 5 of the box and serve to retain the box sides and ends in upright position.

To set up a "box member when in collapsed position, it is merely necessary to gras the free edges of the panels 7, which are t ien disposed adjacent to each other, and swing them upward and outward to the upright positions shown in Fig. 6, and'to collapse the box when in, set up position it is merely necessary to grasp the placing tongues 10 near their free edges 11 and swim them inward and toward thesides 6 movement causes a sli ht flexing of the tongues and anels 4, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, due to t e tension which is set up during such. movement and causes an-inward folding or collapsing of the sides and ends.

The free edges 11 .of the'tongues 10 are preferably notched 'or cut away, as shown, so that when the box member is in flat collapsed position the tendency of the tongue ed es 11 to space the tettom and side anels ad acent the point of connection t ereof will be limited, and thereby lessen the liability of breaking the edgesof-thebox alon the. fold line-2 when the sides are resse down flat over the tops 10. The note esa're formed b providin openings 12 in the otherwisesecured to the triangu en s. of the member, as disclosed in 1 to 6, but two of the tongues may be formed at one side and a single tongue rovided-at each of the'adjaoent sides or en in which latter case the single tongues, Where the boxis in set-up position, have their free upright ends projecting toward the side embodym'g the" pair of tongues, as shown in F1 7 to 12. This latter construction is'u where.

a box is of narrow oblong construction, such for instance, as a box similar m'form to a shoe box, as in such case an end of the box is not sufliciently wide to accommodate two A tongues.

In the modified form of box 20 designates the bottom panel, 21 the two side panels, 22 the two end panels and 23-the corner panels. .One side panel21 is formed withthe inclined scorings 24 extending from theinner corner angles of the anel 21 at substantially a angle; Eac end. anel 22 is provided with a single inclined scoring line 25 extending at substantially 'a 90 angle from the inner corner of the end panel which is remote from the side panel having the seer ings 24. In forming the box the side 21 having the scorings 24, together with the adjacent corner panels 23 are folded over the bottom and end panels 20 and 22. The end panels 22 and adjacent corner panels .23 are then folded over the adjacent end portions of the sides and of the bottom panel 20, and the corner panels 23 are pasted or ar panel portions at the outer sides of the inclined lines 24, thus forming side tongues 26. The side panel '21 which is opposed to the side panel carrying the tongues 26, together. with the adjacent corner anels 23, is then folded over the adjacent si e portion of the bottom panel 20 and the outer sides of the folded end panels, and the corner panels are pasted or otherwise secured to the triangular end panel portions disposed at the-outer sides of the inclined lines. 25, thereby forming a ton e 27 at each end. The tongues 26 and 27 ave the samebracing and foldin actions with res ct to the respective si e or ends with whic associatedas do the tongues 10 of the other form.',

An unfolding or the modified form of box is efiected-byan outward'swinging of the two opposed sides of the ends and 26 and 27 in the racing positions ahownin Two. box members of 'likelsize,-or made from duplicate blanks, may be employed in forming a box, onev member being teleeeoped over the other; It-Jisl not necessary to have v the cover oroutertelescoping m 'ak ly larger than the other as the tendency of the upper edge of the sides and ends to slightlyincline inwardly enables the cover member to be easily telescoped over the bottom member.

-I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any particular construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it'is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A collapsible box' comprising a bottom portion, side and end walls connected thereto, and rectangulartabs on the ends of said side walls, the edges of the tabs and end nected to the exposed surface of the adjacent folded portion of the end walls to, form bracing tongues whereby when the box is unfolded the tabs and folded portions are on bottom portion to hold the Walls in upright position and when collapsed the tabs are "the inside thereof and cooperate with the folded inwardly against the respective sides,

said tabs remaining flat and unfolded in both; positions.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to this s ecifieation.

JOHN R. AN WORMER. 

